Learning Collaboratives
ARCH is currently facilitating five Learning Collaboratives that are open to Lifespan Respite Grantees, State Respite Coalition members, and other Partners. Click on each collaborative tab below to learn about the purpose of the Collaborative, and to access recordings of meetings, agendas, and other resources.
Learning Collaborative on Implementing Respite Actions in the National Strategy
The fifth Learning Collaborative is focused on implementing the respite recommendations in the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers from the Administration for Community Living. Learn more about the launch of the Learning Collaborative.
To provide context for this collaborative, ARCH released The Role of Respite in the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers: An ARCH Policy to Practice Brief.
Student Respite Program Collaborative
ARCH is also pleased to support the Student Respite Program Collaborative led by the BREAK Exchange in partnership with the Respite Care Association of Wisconsin. The purpose of the Student Respite Collaborative is to connect academic partners and program staff involved in respite programs that use students as respite providers to share ideas, best practices, and identify potential collaborative opportunities. The group meets the first Monday of every month at 1 PM ET. Register to get the meeting link.
The Performance Measurement Learning Collaborative is no longer meeting formally, but the resources are retained here for reference. If you need individual training, technical assistance, or coaching, related to performance measurement, please contact ARCH.
The purpose of the Performance Measurement Learning Collaborative was to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas related to performance measurement. The collaborative discussed topics related to planning, implementing, and reporting on the outcomes of Lifespan Respite grant activities. Guest speakers joined from time to time to share their expertise on topics such as: identifying and accessing data sources, practical strategies for tracking progress on goals and objectives and methods, and best practices for reporting on data to stakeholders.
The collaborative explored ways to measure performance related to the stated purposes of the Lifespan Respite Care Program; specifically, strategies for measuring the degree to which programs expand and enhance respite care services to family members; improve statewide dissemination and coordination of respite care; and provide, supplement, or improve access and quality of respite care services to family caregivers.
Meetings
Select a meeting below to see recordings, agenda, and presentations.
April 6, 2023 – The Business of Respite: Key Performance Indicators for Program Sustainability and Accountability
March 17, 2022 – A Conversation with Dr. Rebecca Utz, Respite Researcher and Professor of Sociology, University of Utah
The Respite Voucher Learning Collaborative (LC) provides peer leadership and networking to explore the many issues to be considered in respite voucher program design and implementation. In implementing a respite voucher program, States use a variety of delivery and reimbursement systems, target different populations, and define provider eligibility differently. These and other issues are addressed. You are welcome to join the LC if you are in the planning stages for your program or if you are a seasoned administrator.
The LC is guided by LC leaders, Talena Ford and Aietah Stephens, partners in the OK Lifespan Respite grant and Tracy Kahlo with Lifespan Respite Washington, and facilitated by Jennifer Abernathy, ARCH consultant. The LC meets 4 times a year, and is open to Lifespan Respite grantees and their partners who automatically receive a calendar invitation to participate - no need to sign up.
Respite Voucher Resources
Voucher Resources from the Resource Library
State Respite Voucher Guidance
Results of Respite Voucher Survey, 2021
Results of Respite Voucher Survey, Fall 2018
Practical Considerations for Respite Voucher Programs
Feel free to browse workshop presentations from past National Lifespan Respite Conferences for presentations on voucher respite initiatives from Lifespan Respite grantees and partners.
Meetings
Select a meeting below to see recordings, agenda, and presentations.
Discussions in the Sustainability Planning Learning Collaborative focus on engaging in self-assessment to determine readiness for sustainability planning, including identification of what needs to be sustained; challenges encountered by group members in developing long-term sustainability strategies; strategies used to overcome barriers; successful collaboration building techniques, financing strategies, data collection and more. Participants actively seek guidance and suggestions from each other about the sustainability planning process, and share their own progress in real time.
Lifespan Respite grantees and their partners are welcome to participate in the group, which is facilitated by ARCH consultant, Susan Janko Summers, PhD. if you would like to learn more about or participate in the learning collaborative, please contact ARCH.
The group meets on the fourth Friday of every month at 12:00 PM Eastern for one hour to share progress made in sustainability planning.
For more information and resources, see Sustainability Tools. You can find a list of Learning Collaborative discussion guides, presentations and resource lists here.
Meetings
Select a meeting below to see recordings, agenda, and presentations.
The ARCH Volunteer and Faith-based Respite Learning Collaborative (LC) was launched in October 2021. The purpose of the LC is to serve as a community of practice for the respite network in informal respite opportunities for family caregivers caring for someone of any age or condition.
Participants in the LC who have been engaged in supporting or providing volunteer or faith-based respite through their Lifespan Respite grants or state respite coalitions, or from the broader respite network, are invited to share their experiences, collective wisdom, challenges and successes with others who wish to develop or enhance such respite options in their states or communities. The Learning Collaborative provides a forum for peer learning and networking as well as opportunities to learn more about ARCH resources on volunteer and faith-based respite, and model volunteer and faith-based respite services from around the country. Outside experts in the field on a variety of topics identified by the group will also be invited to participate and contribute to the knowledge base of the LC.
The Learning Collaborative meets four times a year and is facilitated by Jennifer Abernathy, ARCH Consultant. All Lifespan Respite grantees, partners and ARCH members are automatically sent a calendar invitation - no need to sign up!
Volunteer and Faith-based Respite Resources
Search for more Volunteer and Faith-Based Respite Resources in the Resource Library.
Meetings
Select a meeting below to see recordings, agenda, and presentations.
November 9, 2023 – The National Volunteer Caregiving Network: Celebrating 40 Years of Volunteer Service to the Nation’s Caregivers
August 10, 2023 – Youth Volunteers Providing Respite for Children and Young Adults with Disabilities
National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
The 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers from the Administration for Community Living was created to support family caregivers of all ages, from youth to grandparents, and regardless of where they live or what caregiving looks like for them and their loved ones.
Components of the National Strategy
- 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers - An overview and description of the strategy's goals and intended outcomes
- First Principles: Cross-Cutting Considerations for Family Caregiver Support - Describes the four key principles that must be reflected in all efforts to improve support to family caregivers
- Federal Actions - Nearly 350 actions that 15 federal agencies will take in the near term to begin to implement the strategy.
- Actions for States, Communities, and Others - More than 150 actions others can take.
- Infographic summarizing the National Strategy
Support Caregiving
A coalition of groups including the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), the National Alliance for Caregiving, and The John A. Hartford Foundation launched SupportCaregiving.org, a new website that supports the implementation of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.
Find resource guides with strategies to support family caregivers, including resources for caregivers, employers, funders, managed care plans, and state officials. These resource guides help support the dissemination and implementation of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.
The Respite Guide was prepared in consultation with ARCH.
Purpose of the Learning Collaborative
The Learning Collaborative is focused on helping Lifespan Respite grantees and state respite coalitions assume leadership roles in their respective states to help implement the respite recommendations in the National Strategy. The Learning Collaborative provides opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and support, and training and technical assistance from ARCH.
To provide context for this collaborative, ARCH released The Role of Respite in the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers: An ARCH Policy to Practice Brief.
The matrix, State Lifespan Respite Grant Activities Aligned with the National Strategy's Goals and Outcomes, is a working document for the Collaborative. The document catalogues the possible strategies that state Lifespan Respite grantees and their partners may use to explore how they will work to help implement respite actions that will advance the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers within each of their states.
Beginning in October 2023, the Learning Collaborative refocused its purpose to better assist Lifespan Respite Grantees and Partners in implementing identified respite and caregiver support actions at the State Level.
At the October meeting, Cheryl Dinnell, the new Learning Collaborative facilitator, outlined the new framework for the Learning Collaborative that focuses on leadership skill development that will guide the group going forward. The learning collaborative will work on developing leadership and assist in identifying the skills needed to be successful. Each week, through guest presentations, we also expect to highlight a member of the learning collaborative or an outside expert who can be a mentor for carrying out the leadership skill or strategy being discussed.
Learning Collaborative Framework
Meetings
Select a meeting below to see recordings, agenda, and presentations.
The Learning Collaborative meets monthly and is facilitated by Cheryl Dinnell, ARCH Consultant. All Lifespan Respite grantees and partners automatically receive a calendar invitation - no need to sign up!
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